It is well known that some people have problems with one or more joints in their feet, with particular problems being seen in the forefoot, or the front of the foot. The forefoot includes the metatarsals and the phalanges, with the joint between these bones commonly referred to as the metatarsal phalangeal joint. The majority of disease seen in toe joints affects the head of the first metatarsal, or big toe. Problems with the metatarsal phalangeal joint of a toe, most commonly with the big toe or great toe, include pain and swelling due to rheumatoid arthritis, hallux limitus (where motion is restricted due to abnormal structure or function), hallux rigidus (where motion is severely restricted or absent), pain due to an impacted joint, joint deterioration or deformation often associated with arthritis, and/or unstable or painful joints due to previous surgeries.
Several procedures have been developed to treat these conditions. For example, bone implants are often used to obtain pain relief and improve function of the metatarsal phalangeal joint. However, bone implants can only successfully enable the recipient of the bone implant to obtain pain relief and improve function of the metatarsal phalangeal joint if the bone implant is implanted accurately. In order to be able to implant the bone implant accurately, a portion of the distal end of the metatarsal must be cut and removed to allow the necessary spacing for the bone implant. An implant cutting guide can be used to line up and stabilize the area which is to be cut and removed. Accordingly, there is a need for an implant cutting guide that can accurately and repeatably align the cutting tool, e.g., a bone saw, so as to enable a proper amount of bone to be cut and removed.